The Rival's Heir

by Joss Wood

  Wait...what? By the name of all things holy, what? He’d said so much, she couldn’t take it all in. One thing at a time.

  “Jac is at my mom’s? You have her?”

  Judah nodded. “It’s a long, complicated story but the condensed version is that my brother and Carla, who are back together, signed over full custody to me. I’d like us to formally adopt Jac as ours. Do you want to do that with me?”

  She needed about two seconds to think about that. “Um...yes.” Darby couldn’t help doing a happy dance in the snow. Her baby was back. Her little girl...

  The urge to run down the hill to her car, to drive immediately to where she could hug her daughter was strong. But she and Judah still had some issues to deal with.

  Darby tipped her head to one side. “You love me? You want to marry me and build a house for us?”

  Judah shook his head. “Not only a house, a life. I want a life with you at the center of it, sweetheart.”

  “Judah, you’re anti-marriage, anticommitment, antikids. You love your freedom,” Darby stated, suddenly scared. What if he changed his mind? What if he gave her this dream life for a couple of years and then started feeling hemmed in, constrained?

  “I love you more,” Judah said, his voice cracking with emotion. “Darby, I’m not going to change my mind. I’m not going to leave you with a house and kids, go off on my own. I’ve had my freedom, seventeen years of it, and I’m done being alone. I want you and Jac and however many more kids come our way. I want you. I want us.”

  Darby, needing to touch him, threw her arms around him and stood on her toes to bury her face in his neck. Ignoring her tears, she held on tight, trying to make sense of the last ten minutes. As Judah’s arms banded around her—as he pulled her into his warmth, into his heart, into the life he’d created for them—she abandoned understanding and allowed herself to feel.

  She loved him.

  Darby pulled herself off him, taking a step back. When Judah reached for her again, she held up her hands. “If you touch me, I won’t be able to talk, and I need to, Judah... I need to speak.”

  Judah nodded, his beautiful eyes tender.

  Darby pulled in a deep breath, blinked away her tears. “I love—” Her voice cracked, and she cleared her throat. She lifted one shoulder and tried to smile. “I love you. I could’ve lived without you, just as you could’ve lived without me—we are strong enough people to do that but, God, it would’ve hurt. I would’ve been miserable because having you in my life... You make my life.” Trying to smile, she looked at him, her breath catching in her throat. “I want you, too. And yes, please, I’d love to be your wife. I want the life I see in your eyes.”

  Judah’s smile was slow to come but when it did, it warmed her, on that freezing morning, from the inside out. He reached for her, lifting her off her toes, his laughter a low rumble. One arm held her under her butt, his other hand held the back of her head, their mouths aligned. “Fair warning, I’m going to kiss the hell out of you now.”

  Darby grinned. “Strangely, I’m okay with that.”

  “Then we’ll get out of this freezing wind and we’ll pick up our daughter and take her home.”

  Darby kissed Judah before pulling her mouth away. “We don’t want to upset my mom by picking her up too soon. Maybe we can wait a couple of hours before we head over.”

  Judah’s eyes deepened with laughter and passion. “I can’t think what we might do to fill the time,” he teased.

  Darby pretended to think. “I’m sure it will come to us. We are, after all, reasonably intelligent.”

  Judah brushed her hair off her face. “You and I, Darby? Smartest decision ever made.”

  Darby absolutely agreed.

  * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from The Rancher’s Seduction by Catherine Mann

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  The Rancher’s Seduction

  by Catherine Mann

  One

  Tallulah Benson had been told at a young age that she’d been given an exciting name to go with a fairy-tale future. She just wished her life hadn’t stalled out at the floor-sweeping version of Cinderella. No crystal slippers for her. She spent her days in sneakers.

  She climbed the icy steps to the porch on the sprawling ranch home. To call it a log cabin would be an understatement since the two-story structure sported over eight thousand square feet—or so the job assignment had stated.

  Bottom line, Tallulah—Tally—was grateful to have steady work as a housekeeper to pay her bills. If this latest gig cleaning for one of the oil-wealthy Steele family members went well, her résumé would be padded for more jobs cleaning for the rich and famous, which carried a substantial bump in her hourly rate. She needed the work. Both of her parents had died before her eighteenth birthday. She had no cushy savings or family safety net to fall back on.

  By nineteen, she’d learned all too well how harsh life could be when no one had her back. Ten years hadn’t dimmed the pain of giving up her baby for adoption, even knowing she’d made the right decision for her newborn son. These days, she controlled her life.

  Tally stabbed the doorbell, the tones pealing through the walls of rancher Marshall Steele’s home.

  Marshall had used a twice-a-week cleaning service in the past. But a recent accident during a rodeo had left him with a broken arm during the Christmas season. So she’d been hired full-time for six weeks, at his doctor’s recommendation. The opportunity she’d been waiting for.

  She had a history with his family.

  She tapped the doorbell again, but no one came. She knocked on the thick oak door and—

  A blistering curse cut the air.

  Another expletive reverberated, followed by a substantial splash. She gripped the thick wooden rail, looking around. The frozen pond out front was clear and unbroken. Thank goodness. Winters in Alaska could be treacherous.

  More curses carried on the late-afternoon wind. Now that the shock had passed, she realized the shouts were most definitely coming from the back of the house.

  She secured her grasp on her heavy purse and picked her way faster down the steps and along the slick walk. Her feet crunched through packed snow, trees creating an icy arbor as she followed the voice to the back of the ranch-style mansion.

  A glass dome covered a pool area.

  She peered through the frost-speckled windows. Unable to believe what she saw, she blinked, and still the strange visio
n was clear as day.

  A towering man with jet-black hair waded chest-deep in the water with his arm overhead to keep his cast dry.

  It could only be her boss, Marshall Steele. Risking his cast—or worse yet, risking slipping into the depths—to save a dog.

  Marshall inched closer to a scruffy little mutt paddling in panicked circles. Tally’s heart squeezed in sympathy for the dog, her gaze drawn to the pup’s unlikely savior. Time to quit gawking and act.

  She prayed the side door of the solarium was unlocked. She tugged and—thank goodness—the sliding glass panes parted. “Hello? Can I help you?”

  A gust of wind blew through the open door, rippling the man’s discarded jacket by the pool, Stetson on top shuddering slightly.

  He didn’t answer, his focus on the dog. Maybe he hadn’t heard her?

  Rushing closer, she needed to help before he got the plaster wet. And the poor pup was gulping in water, growing more frantic by the second.

  Tally tugged off her boots and slid out of her coat before wading down the steps. “Hello? Let me get the puppy before you get your cast wet or slip—”

  He glanced over his shoulder.

  She almost lost her footing. His coal-dark eyes chased away the chill in an instant, sparking tingles of awareness. Such magnetism. Such mystery.

  Such raw sex appeal.

  It wasn’t fair for one man to be that handsome and rich. His thick black hair curled ever so slightly from the water. He had impossibly long eyelashes and dark eyes with an exotic air. The hard lines of his body broadcast muscles earned the old-fashioned way and not through a gym.

  This was her boss?

  Heaven help her. Life wasn’t fair sometimes. Given the secrets she held, the sensual draw posed a serious risk. But her need for peace with the past and a steady future insisted she hold firm to taking this job.

  She shrugged off the unwanted attraction and focused on plunging deeper into the pool, wading, then swimming past him in awkward splashes as the warmed waters pulled at her clothes.

  “Be careful,” he called, his deep voice muffled by the water in her ears. “Don’t get bitten.”

  She didn’t bother answering. She hadn’t thought about the scared canine biting an unfamiliar person. But the possibility didn’t deter her. The pup needed saving, and her boss needed to keep his cast dry. Yet another twist on her imagined fairy-tale life. She did the saving these days.

  Swooping an arm forward, she wriggled her fingers. And just missed the mutt. She heard more splashing behind her as her boss—Marshall—approached.

  The dog’s head dipped from sight. Panic flared inside her, followed by determination. She dived underwater and powered toward the sinking dog. She stretched her arms, making every inch count. She reached with both hands and sank her fingers into the fur, hauling the little fella tightly to her chest.

  Kicking hard, she powered to the surface and extended her arms upward. The soggy scrap squirmed in her grip, gasping for air. Her feet found the bottom, and she started toward the shallow end.

  Slamming straight into a steel wall of wet man.

  Of course he couldn’t have conveniently been some flabby octogenarian. Her boss was so hot, she half expected the water dripping from him to start steaming off his muscled body instead.

  “Um,” she stuttered, “excuse me.”

  “Nothing to excuse. You’ve saved the day.” His low voice was as sexy as those muscles.

  “Hardly.” She eased past him. She’d worked too hard to nab this job to let wayward attraction derail her.

  In sync, they sank back onto the pool steps, side by side, his thigh against hers.

  “Thanks for getting Nugget,” he said gruffly, taking the squirming dog from her with one hand. Not a puppy at all, but a full-grown small-breed dog. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she said breathlessly, wondering why she didn’t move away. “How’s your cast?”

  “Fine, no worries.” His injured arm rested on the edge of the pool, the soaked mutt tucked under his other arm. “I appreciate your assistance out there. Nugget slipped into the pool as we were coming in from a walk. He got disoriented and couldn’t find the steps.”

  This scraggly little brown scrap was his? She would have expected this man to have some large breed, a hunting dog maybe.

  What other surprises did this Alaskan oil baron heir have in store?

  “Glad to have been of service,” she said.

  “And you are?” He lifted an eyebrow, his gaze flickering ever so quickly over her wet shirt. Not lingering so long to be offensive, but just enough to relay interest.

  And he didn’t know who she was.

  Awkward.

  She should have realized... “I’m your new housekeeper, Tallulah Benson. People call me Tally.”

  His smile faded, and he stepped from the pool. When he stood, water dripped from his soaked jeans. Denim clung to one of the best butts she’d ever seen.

  “Ah. Tallulah Benson. Right. You’re the person my doctor and stepmother conspired to hire.”

  Conspired? His stepmother—Jeannie Steele—had implied she was merely helping him with the interview process. Tally rose, the enclosed area not as warm now that she was drenched. “I was under the impression your arm limits mobility for certain tasks.” She cast an exaggerated glance at the shimmering waters. “Such as swimming.”

  “I would have managed,” he said on his way to a set of shelves with stacks of folded towels. “Worst-case scenario, the cast might have needed to be replaced.”

  “No doubt you would have been just fine.” Provided he hadn’t slipped. “But you don’t have to manage. Are we going to stand here and catch pneumonia while we argue, or am I hired?”

  “Hey, I’m sorry to be a bear.” He pulled a tight smile, flexing his hand at the end of his cast. “I know this isn’t your fault. You’re just doing your job.”

  “So happy we’re finally on the same page about my working here.”

  “For six weeks. But just so we’re clear, I’m not incapable of taking care of myself.” He opened a large cabinet and pulled a towel free, wrapping up the shivering pup.

  “Understood. And I’m not a nurse. I’m here to clean and cook for you.” She grinned, crinkling her nose. “And save your puppy.”

  The glimmer of humor in his dark eyes sparked a hunger deep in her belly. She’d been so busy working the past couple of years to make ends meet, there’d been virtually no time for dating, much less something more intimate. Not that it was a possibility with her boss, especially not this boss. She was holding on to secrets about her father’s role in his family’s tragedy.

  “Please help yourself to the towels. I would get one for you, but I’m limited these days.”

  She reached past him for the fluffy terry cloth, more to shield herself than to dry off. Her breasts were beading with awareness, much to her embarrassment. Hopefully he would chalk it up to the cold weather. She prided herself on her professionalism. She might not be from an oil-rich family like him, but she was proud of her work. Of the life she’d built all by herself.

  Life hadn’t been as easy for her as it had been for Marshall Steele, born with money and good looks.

  She hugged the plush towel.

  An awkward silence fell between them, a truly inauspicious start to her first day on the job. This man—his well-being—was a part of her job description.

  “Are you all right? Did you get your cast wet or slip before I arrived?” she asked. “We should get you checked out by the doctor.”

  “You’re not my nurse, remember?” He tossed her words back at her. “And you don’t look anything like a Tallulah.”

  He’d been expecting someone more...formal perhaps? There wasn’t much she could do about that right now. But she would earn his respect with her job performance. “Well, I guess
that’s why people call me Tally.” She smiled. “The service said you’d asked for live-in help over the Christmas season while your arm heals.”

  “Live-in?” He tossed aside the damp towel and wrapped a fresh one around the dog. “I was expecting day service.”

  “It’s a long drive from town, especially if the weather’s bad, which is typical this time of year.” She struggled to keep the panic out of her voice, her teeth chattering. “I was told there would be room and board included.”

  “My stepmother overreached. Just because she’s been married to my father for a few months doesn’t give her the right to schedule my life.”

  A cold knot started in her stomach. Tally had heard rumors that things were strained blending families when the Steele patriarch had married the widowed matriarch of their business rivals, the Mikklesons. The news had been full of bumps in the road as the Steeles and Mikkelsons merged their companies into the Alaska Oil Barons.

  Tally needed to make him understand her need to stay here. “I’ve already sublet my apartment to an older couple from Kansas who want an extended Alaskan Christmas.”

  “Sounds like you’re in a pickle.”

  His dismissive tone set her teeth on edge. This wasn’t a game to her. This position was crucial to her finally putting her past to rest. She needed to keep the job, and she didn’t have the disposable income to just find another place to live. Never again would she be flat broke and vulnerable.

  “I signed a contract. It clearly states room and board are included.”

  “I’ll reimburse you, and you can stay in a hotel.” And still he hadn’t opened the door into the house.

  Someone as wealthy as Marshall Steele couldn’t possibly understand what it felt like to have no one to depend on, no options.

  “Your stepmother will be upset.” She searched for the right tone to persuade him to go along with Jeannie Mikkelson Steele’s plan. “She seems like a very caring person with your best interest at heart.”